Winding Down, Knee-wise

   I'm finished with Physical Therapy/ Rehab, both 2-week home based and 4 weeks out-patient.  Everything went well, my progress is very good.  I've had 2 visits with the P.A. one at 13 days, and the last at 6 1/2 weeks.  Everything is fine, including the X-rays, and I will see the orthopedic surgeon in 3 months. 
  It's hard to remember when I knew I had a real knee problem. I tend to trace it back about 6 years when I heard a clunk when I was walking down the long entry to a school, and at first thought I must have a stone caught in my boot.  But there were a few warning signs considerably before that time; in 1976, I had a cortisone shot courtesy of the late Dr. Paish.  Nothing showed up then, and I had no more issues until my knee inexplicably swelled shortly before a planned trip to Disneyworld, and an orthopedist drained fluid from the knee, and issued a brace (which I didn't wear.) Again, X-rays showed no damage.  Ahh youth!  I can remember hurting my knee a few times, really painfully, once in an auto accident, once ice skating and another time tobogganing. But once the injury went away, all was forgotten.
     So the real problem sneaked up on me, and on Dorothy also.  I remember sympathizing with her about two-footing down stairs; she'd had arthroscopic surgery before my knee became a real problem.  Not too many years ago, I used to tutor at a school in Troy, for 3 different grade levels. The school had 3 levels, and my tutoring had me go up, down, then back up and down.  I remember getting winded, but had no specific knee problem.  Later, I remember letting students pass me on the stairs, so I could take my time, and still later I would wait until no one was in sight so I could "watch my step."  You know what this means, the dreaded old-lady two-footing each step.  Once in a while, I would have to climb stairs with a guidance counselor or teacher, and I would suck it up, and walk like a normal person, though I knew later, there would be pain.  Finally, I cried uncle and gave up any effort at normalcy, but it was such a gradual process I can't remember how long ago that was. 
  So now I no longer have knee pain.  It seems funny, but it seemed like they both ached, and maybe they did, but after surgery on the more severely afflicted, the other knee is pain-free.  I completed all the therapy with flying colors, but there is one issue that remains, and that is those infernal stairs.  I can ascend stairs like a normal person, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to step down with my "good" leg.  I can't even remember how that leg worked before the surgery, and nothing happened to it, but I am blocked from using it to step down.  The exercises are supposed to strengthen your quads, but it seems they are targeted to the operated leg, not the untouched one.  If I'd kept a record of how I walked before, I guess I might understand, but that's spilt milk.  There must be a lot of truth to the statement that you lose what you don't use.  So here I am, practicing how to walk down stairs like an adult.  Oh, the horror!